Last year, while returning from the inaugural season of the IPL in India, Asif was stopped at Dubai airport for possessing 0.24 grams of opium. The 27 year old was detained in Dubai for 19 days, after which he was deported when authorities decided that the quantity of drug was not sufficient to register a case. Asif claimed then that he was never deported. He also denied that the substance he was caught carrying was opium.

Recently the PCB formed an enquiry committee to probe into the case before taking a decision regarding the player’s participation in first-class cricket. They wanted further proof on whether he was deported or not. However, Asif chose that very time to go England, without informing the board or the inquiry committee.

The committee rescheduled the enquiry for June 1 and has warned Asif to be present. Wasim Bari, the PCB inquiry committee head, wrote in a letter to Asif Monday: “We have scheduled our next meeting on June 1, 2009. This has been done to facilitate your presence in the meeting. In case you are unable to attend because of various reasons, kindly inform us so that the committee can proceed and finalise its recommendations to the board to close this inquiry."

The pacer is already serving a one-year doping ban after testing positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone at the 1st season of the IPL. He is presently in England, training to make a comeback.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan media is being reviled for reporting the presence of female visitors in the players’ hotel rooms in UAE, where they played the series against Australia.  Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam slammed the media saying: “We are facing tough times and in such a situation, I believe it would be better if our media played a more constructive role.

“I’ve heard a lot of reports, alleging that my players were busy having a good time in Dubai and were entertaining female guests in their rooms… It’s all rubbish. I must say there were females in the rooms of some of the players but they were their wives.”

It is also rumored that the Pakistani community in the UAE was displeased with the ‘poor conduct’ of the players, but Alam rubbished that saying he has seldom seen the team so focused.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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